Elusive highwayman in police net, finally

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, November 22

The Batala police, on the hunt for a highway robber who had created terror on the Amritsar-Batala-Pathankot stretch for months now, have finally tasted success, arresting an ex-serviceman and his accomplice and seizing weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle. 

The IG (Border), Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, rushed to Batala from Amritsar to oversee the operation.

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Truckers had been complaining that a “well-built man carrying an assault rifle” had been looting their goods and vehicles. Terrified, they had decided to commute in batches. 

“It was a cat and mouse game with the robbers outsmarting the police on several occasions. We decided to launch a covert operation and succeeded in nabbing ex-serviceman Gurpreet Singh. His accomplice, John Masih of Johal Nangal village, was arrested too,” said Opinderjit Singh Ghuman, SSP. Gurpreet Singh has confessed to having committed at least 12 robberies.

 “He told us he had purchased the rifle from a man in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir. We have summoned the Doda man to Batala for questioning,” IG Parmar said.

A case under Sections 379-B, 212 and 216 of the IPC and the Arms Act has been registered against the accused.